Tennessee Guerilla Women: Hey Obama, Where Are the Women?

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Hey Obama, Where Are the Women?

We never expected Obama to keep up with Spain by nominating a majority female cabinet, but we did hope he would keep up with Bill Clinton.

President Clinton set the record for the nation's all time high in the number of women cabinet members and cabinet-level appointees.

With Obama's choices of Tom Daschle for Secretary of Health and Human Services and Eric Holder for Attorney General, it appears that Obama may not even be able to keep up with George W. Bush's 2nd best record. Apparently, when Obama said he wanted change, he was not thinking about us sweeties.

Men Might Dominate Obama AdMENistration

Early indications that men might dominate the hierarchy of Obama administration have women’s groups worried, even as a growing chorus of advisers reportedly pushes Hillary Rodham Clinton for secretary of state.

“There’s definitely been a reaction to the few groups that have been named so far,” said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women. “I agree with those who are concerned that it would have been nice to see more women.”

Women’s rights advocates acknowledge it’s still early in the transition process, but they say early staff picks and the lists of rumored Cabinet nominees send the wrong signal. “It’s appropriate that Obama’s vetting Clinton, but she’s one women,” said Amy Siskind, co-founder of The New Agenda, a nonpartisan women rights’ group founded by former Clinton supporters. “We want to see parity in the representation of women in the Cabinet.”

Slim Prospects for Women

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is under serious consideration for secretary of state. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has been mentioned as a possible candidate for ~~attorney general~~ or secretary of homeland security. And Obama adviser [Susan] Rice’s name has been bandied about as a contender for national security adviser.

Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) could also be in line for an intelligence post. Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs in the war in Iraq, is mentioned as a possible secretary of veterans affairs.

___
"It's a nervous-making time, because you look at the list of people that are in the press and it's obviously a lot of men and a couple of women. . . . The appointments really are the first big signal that the new president is going to pay attention to women in a serious way."

-- Ellen R. Malcolm, Emily's List President

"This is the year of the Penis and we know it!"

--edgeoforever